Director Mike Nichols staged readings by the gliteratti of famous pieces by Whitman, Twain and Morrison, among others, according to a pool report.

"I miss all the fun stuff," Obama said after taking the stage. "They just pull me in. If we’ve got a great singer, I never get to hear him sing. We had some of the -- so everybody goes, 'You’ve got a great event. This person is going to be there!' And I’m like, 'Am I going to be there?' 'No, actually, you’re going to miss everything.' So was the case tonight."

She ticked through her standard stump speech, talking about her husband's character - what made her fall in love with him in the first place and "what you all saw last night" during the presidential debate in New York. She talked about all the tough choices he has made. And she also recounted meeting a 101-year-old woman, who has been volunteering for the campaign

"And she squeezed my hand and gave me the biggest hug, and she said, 'I just love you and the President and I’m praying for you and I’m working hard for you' -- 101, all right?" Obama said. "She said, 'I was alive when Teddy Roosevelt was President.' And she said, 'Let me tell you something -- you tell the president that they gave him a heck of a time, too.

"They gave him the worst time, because times were hard then.' That’s what she said -- so a lot of people weren’t ready for what he wanted to do. So she told me to tell the President to go into that debate and give him something."

An estimated 350 people attended the event, where tickets started at $1,000 per head. The first lady also attended a fundraising luncheon at a Long Island country club earlier in the day, where tickets started at $250 and another 350 guests attended.

At the Park Avenue event, some gave feedback on President Obama's second debate performance:

Actor Blair Underwood of L.A. Law fame called the faceoff "combative," according to the pool report. And he and a companion speculated about Michelle Obama's political future. Underwood wondered aloud about Hillary Clinton's prospects.